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Chinese in Wisconsin

What is Important in Your Life?

Roger Zhong

Guangchang “Roger” Zhong has found everything he holds important right in Milwaukee.

“Milwaukee is a great place to raise a family,” says Zhong. “It’s large enough to offer all kinds of resources – culture, sports, shops – but small enough to find peace and escape. the noise of a big city.”

Originally from Jiangxi, China, Zhong and his wife, Shan Lu, came to the United States in 1990 to attend graduate school. Both had studied English at Jiangxi Normal University. But when Shan Lu won a scholarship to a university not far from Milwaukee, the University of Wisconsin at Platteville, they were off to America.

“Milwaukee has the feel of a big urban area, but it is spacious and easy to get around. It is affordable, too,” says Zhong. “If you want a big city, Chicago is just an hour away.”

Today, Zhong, Shan, and their daughters, Sabrina, 7, and Kalina, 10, enjoy visiting the area’s many museums, camping in the nearby chain-of-lakes region, or trips to the zoo.

“The girls like all the hands-on exhibits at Discovery World museum,” Zhong says. “And the Milwaukee zoo is ranked among the top in the U.S.”

They also attend local sports, including American football – “We’re huge Packers fans” – and the Milwaukee Bucks.

The Zhong family and Yi Jianlian

“Yi is very humble and accessible,” says Zhong as he shows off his family photo with Yi Jianlian.

The area’s reputation for quality education (among the nation’s leaders in high school standardized test scores) and many universities also add to the quality of life.

“Education is very important to us,” says Zhong.

In addition to his Masters degree from Platteville, Zhong also has his Psy.D from the Wisconsin School of Professional Psychology in Milwaukee.

Zhong is president of Project Access, a non-profit organization serving people with mental health issues.